Cody Gakpo highlighted Virgil van Dijk's influence on his decision to join Liverpool after the Reds formally confirmed his arrival from PSV on Wednesday.
The Netherlands international has signed for Jurgen Klopp's side in a move reportedly worth an initial £37million (€42m) on the back of an impressive World Cup campaign.
Gakpo's arrival on Merseyside is a major boost for Klopp's men and a blow to rivals Manchester United, where the forward had been heavily tipped to join his countryman Erik ten Hag.
Speaking to Liverpool's website after sealing his transfer, Gakpo said it was another Dutchman who helped convince him he was making the right call in moving to Anfield.
"At the moment I was calling [in] with the coach, he came into the office and saw me," Gakpo said of Van Dijk. "We chatted a little bit. We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last days.
"What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is massive, but also like a real family.
"I think that's also very important for me because I'm a family guy. He said only good things. I'm happy that he's here, so he can help me with some stuff. I'm really grateful to be here."
Amid injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, Gakpo's arrival offers a major offensive boost to Liverpool, with the 23-year-old having scored nine goals and provided 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie games this season.
Klopp could not hide his delight at getting the move over the line, saying: "It really is great news for us that we have been able to do it.
"The work that has gone into this has been really impressive and in the end, we have managed to sign a player who we have known about for quite some time and who we believe will have a bright future with us.
"There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old, but he already has a lot of experience.
"We know he is a smart footballer and a smart person, so we are excited to be able to work with him."
Shaka Hislop happy for Lionel Messi to do 'whatever he wants', but would love to see him in MLS
Lionel Messi has earned the right to do whatever he wishes with his career, but Shaka Hislop would love to see the Argentine superstar head to MLS.
Messi seems set to leave Paris Saint-Germain after the expiration of his contract.
Christophe Galtier said on Friday that Messi would be playing his last game for PSG when the Ligue 1 champions host Clermont on Saturday.
While the club subsequently told AFP that Galtier had "expressed himself incorrectly and that the match against Clermont would be Messi's last at the Parc with PSG this season", according to L'Equipe, it does appear to be the end of the road in Paris for the 35-year-old.
It has been reported that Barcelona are eager to take Messi back to Catalonia, and there is interest from Saudi Arabia, where Karim Benzema is seemingly headed and Cristiano Ronaldo already plays.
MLS side Inter Miami have long been credited with an interest too, however, and former Newcastle United, Portsmouth and West Ham goalkeeper Hislop - who ended his own career in the United States with FC Dallas - would be thrilled to see Messi head across the Atlantic.
"It would be incredibly huge for MLS, which continues to grow in so many ways," Hislop told Stats Perform.
"I think it brings eyes to this league, it brings an appreciation of this league that has based a lot of its growth around bringing young and exciting South American talent to MLS.
"So to have a not-so-young but exciting South American talent in the league does wonders for it.
"I'm a huge fan of MLS, and its growth because I went to university here, so I know exactly what US Soccer was like through the late 80s and early 90s.
"So to see how it's developed today, I think has been incredible just to witness, so I would love to see him in MLS and have had the sport get that exposure like only he can bring."
Messi joined PSG in 2021 and has played a direct part in 66 goals (32 goals and 34 assists) since making his debut, a tally bettered only by Kylian Mbappe (106) among his team-mates in that timeframe.
Yet Messi has at times faced criticism from PSG's fanbase, especially after he was suspended by the club for a making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.
Hislop, though, says Messi deserves to play wherever he wants.
"I think Lionel Messi has given this game so much, and at this point, do whatever you want," he said.
"We'll comment and pass judgment on it but he's given this game so much of his life. He's given us all so much to appreciate. I'm all for Lionel Messi doing whatever he wants. I really am."
Lydia Bedford takes Brentford Under-18s reins in landmark appointment for women
Lydia Bedford has been announced as Brentford Under-18s head coach in a landmark appointment.
Bedford has left her position as assistant boss with Arsenal’s women team to become the first female coach to take the reins at a men’s professional side in England.
The former Leicester manager is set to work alongside Jon-Paul Pittman, who will join as assistant coach from Forest Green.
Brentford director of football Phil Giles said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to attract such talented coaches as Lydia and Jon-Paul to our under-18 team for next year.
“We undertook an extensive recruitment process for these roles. Lydia and Jon-Paul were the two best candidates, and thankfully we were able to finalise their recruitment to the staff.
“I’m sure they will excel, and we all look forward to working with them through pre-season and beyond.”
Kyogo Furuhashi ‘bullish’ about making Scottish Cup final – Ange Postecoglou
Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi is “bullish” about his chances of making the Scottish Cup final despite not training so far this week.
The Japan international went off with a leg knock during last Saturday’s 5-0 win over Aberdeen after coming off worse in a 50-50 with Dons goalkeeper Kelle Roos.
The 28-year-old has scored 33 goals this season and won a clean sweep of Scotland’s player of the year awards, and he has an impressive record in cup finals, with match-winning doubles in the League Cup in each of his two seasons with Celtic.
Boss Ange Postecoglou said: “Kyogo is progressing. He hasn’t trained yet. The plan is to get him out there tomorrow (Friday) and see how he goes. He is doing some individual stuff this afternoon.
“He always is, but he is still pretty bullish about playing so we will just see how he goes.
“We will be guided by him a little bit. We have done that in the past. He has had a couple of times, whether it’s with his shoulder or in last year’s League Cup final he went in with a hamstring that wasn’t totally healed and scored a couple of goals.
“So I will be guided by him. He is very strong mentally so if he gives us the green light we will put him in there.”
The only definite absentee is Australia midfielder Aaron Mooy, who has been nursing a back problem in recent weeks.
Postecoglou said: “(Alistair) Johnston is fine, he has trained all week and (Sead) Haksabanovic is back in so he is available as well. The only real absence is Aaron Mooy.”
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